Have your end goal in mind -Before you start the journey you need to know where you are going first, right?

Have a plan and strategy: how are you going to achieve your goal? by plane, bus, ship or bicycle?

Skills identification: This needs a little bit of self understanding. What are you good at? What are you bad at? Two books I would recommend for reading and understanding your strengths are Now, Discover Your Strengths and Strengthsfinder 2.0